How do I use "One of a Kind"?

[Innersight]

I figured I may as well make a public topic out of this so anyone else that needs to know can also find out.

 

I successfully installed the main mod like it was explained on the "One of a Kind" Nexus page:

https://www.nexusmods.com/palworld/mods/524

 

To rehash it - just in case anyone reading this is trying to figure it out too:

 

1) I went to https://github.com/UE4SS-RE/RE-UE4SS/releases/tag/v3.0.1 and downloaded the latest UE4SS_v3.0 zip file

(Currently v3.0.1).

 

2) I extracted the zip file into \Palworld\Content\Pal\Binaries\Win64

 

3) I open one of the newly extracted files, UE4SS-settings.ini, and change the text line "bUseUObjectArrayCache = true" to "bUseUObjectArrayCache = false" and saved the file.

(It came defaulted to "true" for some reason despite described to be needed to be changed to false on their page. I don't know why this is.)

 

4) In the same file I changed the line of text "GraphicsAPI = open1" to "Graphics API = dx11" and saved the file.

(The page instructed this too. I don't know why.)

 

5) Made a new directory: Palworld/Content/Pal/Content/Paks/LogicMods and downloaded the "One of a Kind" mod form the nexus into the new folder.

 

6) I open my game and load my save to check if the mod is successfully loaded. Inside of 10 seconds of my game loading in I get the message "Game has finished loading! OK Overhaul is now active!" in the top left corner like the Nexus page shows.

 

 

 

So now that the framework is set up I am ready to learn how to use it.

 

From this point how can I use, say, this mod for specifically any male loupmoon:

 

While using this mod for specifically any female loupmoon:

I believe once I'm walked through the process once I (and any other reader) would be fine putting the other pals together.

Edited February 19, 2024 by Innersight

[Sazni]

Hmmm... well, judging by the anthro Foxparks replacement - which requires OK because it supports both genders - the whole thing is simply a singular .pak file, suggesting this sorta thing needs to be done by the modder themselves rather than us end users.

[Innersight]

2 minutes ago, Sazni said:

Hmmm... well, judging by the anthro Foxparks replacement - which requires OK because it supports both genders - the whole thing is simply a singular .pak file, suggesting this sorta thing needs to be done by the modder themselves rather than us end users.

The thought passed my mind when I saw the way they handled that file too. But I'm holding out hope at the moment for confirmation by someone in the know.

[Lognatz]

Yeah, mods have to be converted or created by the author to be OK compatible.

 

Example: I run the male Direhowl mod from the Feral World mod, which is not OK compatible.

But, I also run Cookie's female Direhowl mod, which is OK compatible.

So, as I understand it, the male version is mozying about in the game as per usual, because OK does not affect it, but it does affect Cookie's female mod, and as a result, the females are added on top.

[Innersight]

hm. A little less amazing than it seemed yesterday then. We have to wait for it establish itself enough that all of the modders decide to collaborate with it. Which may or may not happen.

[SlicedBread]

2 hours ago, Innersight said:

The thought passed my mind when I saw the way they handled that file too. But I'm holding out hope at the moment for confirmation by someone in the know.

There's been some relevant conversation about this on the FeralWorld thread, specifically starting here. The conclusion begin that OK only works for mods that are designed with its compatibility in mind. OK doesn't register just any ol' pak file mesh replacer. Using Lognatz' observations as an example, the male DireHowl mesh from FeralWorld replaces ALL the DireHowl meshes globally, then Cookie's female DireHowl mesh (because it is OK compatible) goes back through and replaces all the DireHowls designated to be female. The result is a seemingly working gender-based mesh replacement even though only one gender is OK-compatible. Technically it works, but not as elegantly as it could.

 

I don't know how OK handles the rules and definitions that govern which mesh is used in what instance. I've seen no indication of an additional UI where a user could pick meshes manually or even decide on the rules. This suggests that OK provides the framework and the compatible-mesh creators are tasked with defining the rules on their end. Not awesome for users atm, but at least creators could do some more interesting things with the mesh variants they've already created. It's silly that mods like FeralWorld have both female and male versions of a few creatures but it is only possible to use one at a time.

 

Ideally, all these mesh replacers would start creating OK compatibility at the outset. I have no real knowledge of how difficult that is but conceptually it should not be much of a burden. Especially considering the amount of work already invested into creating the gender variant meshes in the first place.

 

EDIT: Well you guys got the gist and replied while I was typing this analysis. D'oh!

Edited February 20, 2024 by SlicedBread

[Lognatz]

Well, as most everyone else have already expressed, I do hope more modders will jump on the One of a Kind bandwagon over time, it just adds a whole new dimension to the game experience.

[Innersight]

16 minutes ago, SlicedBread said:

There's been some relevant conversation about this on the FeralWorld thread, specifically starting here. The conclusion begin that OK only works for mods that are designed with its compatibility in mind. OK doesn't register just any ol' pak file mesh replacer. Using Lognatz' observations as an example, the male DireHowl mesh from FeralWorld replaces ALL the DireHowl meshes globally, then Cookie's female DireHowl mesh (because it is OK compatible) goes back through and replaces all the DireHowls designated to be female. The result is a seemingly working gender-based mesh replacement even though only one gender is OK-compatible. Technically it works, but not as elegantly as it could.

 

I don't know how OK handles the rules and definitions that govern which mesh is used in what instance. I've seen no indication of an additional UI where a user could pick meshes manually or even decide on the rules. This suggests that OK provides the framework and the compatible-mesh creators are tasked with defining the rules on their end. Not awesome for users atm, but at least creators could do some more interesting things with the mesh variants they've already created. It's silly that mods like FeralWorld have both female and male versions of a few creatures but it is only possible to use one at a time.

 

Ideally, all these mesh replacers would start creating OK compatibility at the outset. I have no real knowledge of how difficult that is but conceptually it should not be much of a burden. Especially considering the amount of work already invested into creating the gender variant meshes in the first place.

 

EDIT: Well you guys got the gist and replied while I was typing this analysis. D'oh!

I caught that conversation in the feral thread but figured I'd wave a more obvious flag for better confirmation.

The workaround they used for the direwolf is great. I'm glad there's a little malleable factor in there so it don't have to be a 100% "Everything has to be made for OK to use any of the mods" situation. But it still does require us to have at least one of the two gender mods made for OK to even squeeze the workaround in. Which means it still needs a lot of collaborative support from other modders.

 

Assuming we know what we're talking about that is.

Edited February 20, 2024 by Innersight

[Lognatz]

I never assume I know what I'm talking about.

Edited February 20, 2024 by Lognatz

[SlicedBread]

5 minutes ago, Lognatz said:

Well, as most everyone else have already expressed, I do hope more modders will jump on the One of a Kind bandwagon over time, it just adds a whole new dimension to the game experience.

I would be little suprised if features like OK don't recieve native support in some fashion. The devs have done a lot to create distinctive traits, abilities, levels, genders, and rarity. NONE of those change how the creatures look (I'm not counting Luckies begin scaled up). That's kinda nuts. However, I'm not at all familiar with these developers. Maybe the game's commercial success will give them the kick in the pants needed to flesh it out properly, maybe not.

 

Until then, I agree, OK support is a no-brainer for any creators with multiple variants for a single creature. I've already seen some suggestions for OK support on the Nexus mods that would benefit. I think we'll see some progress there.

[SlicedBread]

And, for what it's worth, I loathe packed mod files for this exact reason. Just more steps to really dig in to the meat of these mods, learn how they work, edit, fine-tune, optimize....*sigh*

 

Why back in MY day, we could see every damn script and texture and...

[CookieLoverAnon]

I made this for you:

 

[Steampunk88]

That video is extremely blurry, cant see wat your doing at all.

[Innersight]

28 minutes ago, CookieLoverAnon said:

I made this for you:

 

That's cool of you, dude. Thank you.

I watched it through once and it felt like the adults from Charlie Brown honking at me after a while. Feeling a little daunted by it. I think for a little bit I'm going to put off actually changing things. I appreciate the help though and will tackle it eventually. Just not feeling up to it right away.

 

I understand this means any mod can be turned into a "One of a Kind" compatible mod by the user though. Which I believe will save OK. The fact that it won't have to rely on modders to directly acknowledge it means it isn't going to be as limited as I was worried it would be.

[CookieLoverAnon]

28 minutes ago, Steampunk88 said:

That video is extremely blurry, cant see wat your doing at all.

I'll probably redo it later. I just got an ultra wide screen, so I'm not used to recording on it.

[zileteh]

6 hours ago, Innersight said:

3) I open one of the newly extracted files, UE4SS-settings.ini, and change the text line "bUseUObjectArrayCache = true" to "bUseUObjectArrayCache = false" and saved the file.

(It came defaulted to "true" for some reason despite described to be needed to be changed to false on their page. I don't know why this is.)

 

4) In the same file I changed the line of text "GraphicsAPI = open1" to "Graphics API = dx11" and saved the file.

(The page instructed this too. I don't know why.)

UE4ESS is a common resource not just for pal world, but for MANY different unreal engine games. 
bUseObjectArrayCache IIRC is a performance feature that in most cases makes mods run with less impact on system resources. There are many mods that require UE4ESS, and most of them recommend changing these settings. Sometimes you don't have to - great - but since this is a first step when troubleshooting malfunctioning mods anyways, it makes sense to include it premptively.

[Innersight]

21 minutes ago, zileteh said:

UE4ESS is a common resource not just for pal world, but for MANY different unreal engine games. 
bUseObjectArrayCache IIRC is a performance feature that in most cases makes mods run with less impact on system resources. There are many mods that require UE4ESS, and most of them recommend changing these settings. Sometimes you don't have to - great - but since this is a first step when troubleshooting malfunctioning mods anyways, it makes sense to include it premptively.

huh I see. So the UE4ESS file wasn't theirs to control the default form of.

 

Also I get it now. Unreal Engine... UE4ESS.

[zileteh]

3 hours ago, SlicedBread said:

There's been some relevant conversation about this on the FeralWorld thread, specifically starting here. The conclusion begin that OK only works for mods that are designed with its compatibility in mind. OK doesn't register just any ol' pak file mesh replacer. Using Lognatz' observations as an example, the male DireHowl mesh from FeralWorld replaces ALL the DireHowl meshes globally, then Cookie's female DireHowl mesh (because it is OK compatible) goes back through and replaces all the DireHowls designated to be female. The result is a seemingly working gender-based mesh replacement even though only one gender is OK-compatible. Technically it works, but not as elegantly as it could.

 

I don't know how OK handles the rules and definitions that govern which mesh is used in what instance. I've seen no indication of an additional UI where a user could pick meshes manually or even decide on the rules. This suggests that OK provides the framework and the compatible-mesh creators are tasked with defining the rules on their end. Not awesome for users atm, but at least creators could do some more interesting things with the mesh variants they've already created. It's silly that mods like FeralWorld have both female and male versions of a few creatures but it is only possible to use one at a time.

 

Ideally, all these mesh replacers would start creating OK compatibility at the outset. I have no real knowledge of how difficult that is but conceptually it should not be much of a burden. Especially considering the amount of work already invested into creating the gender variant meshes in the first place.

 

EDIT: Well you guys got the gist and replied while I was typing this analysis. D'oh!

The main problem is the unreal engine asset management likes to explicitly know all the resources included and their exact hierarchy before the game is running. O.K. gets around this by creating a lot of dummy asset slots that like link back to the original asset unless the condition is set, in which case it links to the mod asset. The conditions and paths for the models are all set inside the mod .pak file, these are not user configurable! This is why all the models need to be created to be O.K. compatible. It isn't really hard at all to create a compatible pak - the last step before making the .pak you move the files to a subfolder in UE, name the subfolder and files to something else, and configure a template O.K. config file for that pal to load that model under whichever conditions. This is all baked into the .pak file for the mod.

IT would be really cool if there was a way to like, configure the rules or have folders with the mod .pak files individually and then use O.K. to load them at game start, cobble together all the info needed for the asset manager thing to be happy, and start the game. The second issue there is any odd .pak model replacer mod has the files it replaces baked in. You'd have to reverse engineer your own loader that will grab the models, ignore the explicitly stated files those assets are trying to replace, expose a name or some kind of ID for the framework to use, so the framework can pair user-supplied rules to reroute slots to those files, re-bundle them in a way the game likes at game startup, and then continue with loading the game. It might be possible but AFAIK noone is working towards this goal, and the soonest we'll see something like this will likely after we see custom animations get a loader, extensions to the data instead of replacement (ex injecting additional completely unique pals). 

Edited February 20, 2024 by zileteh

[PaulitoZ]

3 hours ago, CookieLoverAnon said:

I made this for you:

 

 

Wow, thank you! I was planning to release a couple of updates and new versions of my mods tonight, but I need to test them first so that I can upload a version that is OK compatible.

[Innersight]

On 2/20/2024 at 1:30 AM, PaulitoZ said:

 

Wow, thank you! I was planning to release a couple of updates and new versions of my mods tonight, but I need to test them first so that I can upload a version that is OK compatible.

I've been super eager to see what you've been cooking.

[Innersight]

On 2/19/2024 at 9:45 PM, CookieLoverAnon said:

I made this for you:

 

I decided I felt up to tackling this today but was stuck 40 seconds in when the video was a little too blurry. I couldn't quite tell where to export the zip file and was afraid to take a gamble on my luck.

[Steampunk88]

Just click "export all" or "export here", if your on windows, idk how the other types do theres sorry.

[CookieLoverAnon]

5 hours ago, Innersight said:

I decided I felt up to tackling this today but was stuck 40 seconds in when the video was a little too blurry. I couldn't quite tell where to export the zip file and was afraid to take a gamble on my luck.

Hopefully this one isn't as shit:

 

[Steampunk88]

57 minutes ago, CookieLoverAnon said:

Hopefully this one isn't as shit:

 

MUUUUUUCH better, ty Anon!

[KuramaEvergarden]

Sorry to ask for help on someone else's thread, but I too happen to be trying to edit Loupmoon to be OK compatible (using a different male model though). I'm completely new to trying this, can someone point me in the direction of a guide leading from scratch up to where Anon's video starts? I've downloaded Unreal Engine, going to download Unity, anything else?